Mullahs’ regime falls before its opposition, releases workers arrested in protests

 The Haft-Tapeh workers have been on strike and protesting for more than two weeks for their unpaid wages and other grievances. Worse still, security forces arrested workers who protested against it, among them some labor leaders. Later, they released most of the detainees due to continuous pressures by angry workers and citizens, but the labor leaders are still being held.

A group of students at Tehran University held a protest to show support for the workers of Haft-Tapeh sugar cane factory in Shush, southwestern Iran.

The situation became tense when anti-riot police with guns entered the factory compound.

Protests continued in the city and in front of the courthouse by people and workers demanding the release of the detainees and the fulfilling of the rest of the demands.

Labor activists also complain that the government has failed to effectively deal with corruption, especially when powerful businessmen buy government enterprises with favorable prices but not make the necessary investments or pay wages regularly.

Maryam Rajavi, head of the Iranian Resistance, saluted the striking workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane factory and Ahvaz Steel Factory, and called on all youth, especially in Khuzestan, to support the uprising of strikers, and urged international human rights defenders and labor and trade unions to condemn the repressive measures of the religious fascism ruling Iran against the workers and to take urgent action for the immediate release of the arrested.

Iranian affairs expert Mohamed Benaya told The Reference in an interview that the current demonstrations are the result of the repressive policies that the Iranian regime practices against all classes.

He also pointed out that not only did the Iranian regime ignore the rightful demands of workers, it also launched arrest campaigns against protesters.

Benaya stressed that the Iranian regime is in a real crisis thanks to these protests, especially with the support of students and the piling rage, not to mention that the regime senses that its religious prestige began to tumble.

“This rage will not settle unless the regime fulfills the rightful demands of Iranian workers to lift their suffering, especially with the deteriorating economy due to the regime’s failure to contain the following crises.

Workers argue that the owner, who received the factory from the state for a small fee a few years ago, has disappeared and the factory has been left to its fate.